Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 16 March 2011, Official Report, columns 9-10W, on the public bodies reform programme, what estimate he has made of the savings to his Department net of costs incurred in the assumption of additional departmental responsibilities to accrue from (a) the abolition of 30 public bodies within his Department's area of responsibility and (b) the change in function of one such body.
Answer
The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, (Mr Maude) issued a written ministerial statement on 16 March 2011, Official Report, columns 9-10WS, updating Parliament on progress with the public bodies reform. That statement announced that Departments' estimate that cumulative administrative savings of at least £2.6 billion will flow from public bodies over the spending review period.The 40 health bodies listed in the Public Bodies Reform—Proposals for Change document are a mixture of advisory non-departmental public bodies (31, of which, 23 will be abolished or be reconstituted as a Department of Health or Public Health Service expert committee) and executive non-departmental public bodies (nine, of which, seven are to be abolished).In terms of the Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies, the current costs are small and the opportunities for savings are corresponding in size.For the group of executive non-departmental public bodies, savings will accrue not just from the seven bodies that are leaving the sector, but also through efficiency savings from those remaining. An analysis of all nine executive organisations listed in the Cabinet Office document (Alcohol Education and Research Council, Appointments Commission, Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence, General Social Care Council, Health Protection Agency, Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), Human Tissue Authority (HTA), Care Quality Commission and Monitor—for HFEA and HTA the plan is for them to leave the sector at the end of the parliamentary session) indicates that £67 million could be saved in grant in aid in 2011-12.